Thursday, August 11, 2011

Disturbing is a word too often used to describe horror and or psychological thrillers. New Zealand's "Wound" is not only disturbing, but extremely thought provoking. The 76 minute film plays out through a series of images presumably inside the mind of Susan, a late 30s woman who has a ghastly past filled with horrible atrocities. Kate O'Rourke does a gloriously scary job of displaying the raw emotions,quiet intensity, and seething rages required of her. Quite frankly she gives on of the finest performances I have ever witnessed in an independent film. She has to go through a descent into madness, innocence, and also show some semblance of a normal life. The other lead actress Te Kaea Beri does a solid job as Tanya, Susan's daughter from the rape of her father. Beri also has to go through a series of emotions and clearly understands the mood and source material of the particular scenes she is in.

Above screen shot is Te Kaea Beri as Tanya in "Wound"

As for the Plot, my interpretation is that the movie is told though a series of flashbacks following Susan's father coming home from a long time away on a work venture. Susan's rage is fueled by her past and she descends into her own world of madness including wrapping her excrement in tin foil and saving it in a deep freezer.

Above screen shot is Kate O'Rourke as Susan in "Wound"

The finest aspect of the film is the fact that the movie is left open for interpretation. The subtle images producer/writer/director David Blyth displays are fantastic, often surreal. There is a scene in which Susan is playing the role of submissive and is blindfolded and there is a painting on the wall on the side of a beautiful bird who is perched on a branch evoking the "free as a bird" phrase. Watching for the background subtleties is a treat for the eyes. As a writer I enjoy a movie with allegory and one that evokes a thought provoking discussion not just mindless entertainment.

David Blyth pays attention to every minuscule detail with regards to lighting, camera angles, and film techniques. At several points during the film he uses surveillance cameras to record Susan's movements. This gives a diverse and almost voyeuristic perspective into the mind of this deranged character. Scenes range from outside under a beautiful tree to inside in a seedy underground S&M punk club, both being equally important to the story of Susan.

I actually recommend watching this film with someone that has an open mind so that it can be discussed further. This is also an excellent film for people in the movie making industry to watch. David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Gasper Noe and Dario Argento are four established directors who David Blyth reminds me of, as they all use a huge variety of film making ambiguity to evoke the mood and atmosphere, and challenge their actors to display emotion. In the rare air of movies that leave a lasting impression, and "Wound" is definitively one of those special few. I rate this one a 9 out of 10, a must purchase. Ok! So call me crazy!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

First up in the news Writer/Director/Producer Kantz is putting the finishing touches on Wasteland. The post apocalyptic western is scheduled for an October release. Look for a future review in Dan's Movie Report. In the mean time point your burning browser to the brand new you tube trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ_C1f18dE8&feature=youtu.be

The Van Damme, Scott Adkins feature length action film "Assassination Games" was released July 29th. I watched it, rather than do a complete review, I have a few comments. The fighting scenes and action were impressive for the 4 million dollar production. Honestly, I did not care for any of the secondary roles, nor the main villain role. I found the characters to be so unemotional that it made the plot lines rather tedious to view. On the other hand, Van Damme had a pet turtle who unlike the other characters had emotional parts, hiding in his shell when Van Damme touched his back and when the cute neighbor lady caressed him softly he poked his head out.
So the action, fighting and the turtle rate "Assassination Games" a 5 out of 10 on my reptile scale!

On the other hand I witnessed perhaps the most disturbing movie since "In My Skin", and "Irreversible" with "Wound"! What a mind blowing psychotic trip of a film! This New Zealand production one will get a future detailed review, and hopefully cast and crew interviews! This was a high quality production from cast to filming, and lighting techniques. In the mean time. Enjoy these bizarre screen caps!

This is one disturbing mind trip! If you have the guts to point your warped browsers to:

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

New York, NY (August 8, 2011) – The Tribeca Film Festival announced today that the 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival will be held April 18 – April 29, 2012 in New York City. The Festival has announced a call for submissions for narrative and documentary features as well as for short film entries.

This is a fantastic opportunity for new and even established film makers to display their movies for a wider audience. Tribeca was formed in 2001 by Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff.

Deadlines to submit U.S. and International films for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival are as follows:

September 19, 2011 – SUBMISSIONS OPEN

October 28, 2011 – EARLY DEADLINE, FEATURES & SHORTS

December 2, 2011 – OFFICIAL DEADLINE, ALL FEATURES AND SHORTS

January 11, 2012 – LATE DEADLINE, AVAILABLE TO FEATURE LENGTH FILMS ONLY

Deadlines for filmmakers to submit for the 2012 Tribeca Film Institute programs are:

August 8, 2011 – SUBMISSIONS OPEN

October 10, 2011 – DEADLINE

Starting September 19, 2011, submission forms and complete information regarding eligibility for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival will be available at www.tribecafilm.com/festival. Questions

regarding submissions may be directed to entries@tribecafilmfestival.org or by calling 212.941.2305.

Submission forms and complete information regarding eligibility for the 2012 Tribeca Film Institute programs are now available at www.tribecafilminstitute.org. Questions regarding submissions may be directed to institute@tribecafilminstitute.org or by calling 212-274-8080.

In other Tribeca news, they have acquired "SHUT UP LITTLE MAN!" An Audio Misadventure. The film is available August 25th on VOD. This fun film has the following hilarious and crazy, slice of the 80s plot description after the photo:

In 1987, Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitch Deprey, two young punks from the Midwest, moved into a low-rent tenement apartment in the Lower Haight district of San Francisco. Through paper-thin walls, they were informally introduced to their middle-aged alcoholic neighbors, the most unlikely of roommates—Raymond Huffman, a raging homophobe, and Peter Haskett, a flamboyant gay man. Night after night, the boys were treated to a seemingly endless stream of vodka-fueled altercations between the two and for 18 months, they hung a microphone from their kitchen window to chronicle the bizarre and violent relationship between their insane neighbors. Oftentimes nonsensical and always vitriolic, the diatribes of Peter and Ray were an audio goldmine just begging to be recorded and passed around on the underground tape market. Their tapes went on to inspire a cult following, spawning sell-out CD’s, comic artworks by Dan Clowes (Ghostworld), stage-plays, music from the likes of Devo and a Hollywood feeding frenzy.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

On the Heels of our exclusive interview, Bai Ling let me know she is currently shooting a new action/western called Yellow Hill. More details to follow! The Picture Below comes from her blog.

The story is: The 1860's. A time that had people of all stripes came to America. The land of dreams, the land of promise. But what they found was hardship. In a dying gold town called Holsum a community of Chinese immigrants is being brutalized, beaten, whipped and even murdered....

Here is a sample of her in The Crow! A hi def screen cap to wet your appetite.
Bai's character Myca is the only one in the gang smart enough to figure out The Crow's powers and goes after the bird not the man!

1.6 Million Views!! Trigonal and Triple Threat EXCLUSIVE Content!

Jesse V. Johnson Interview!! Exclusive

Celina Jade Interview Click Picture Below!

Actress Sarah Chang Chats Trigonal: Fight For Justice!!

Exclusive interview with Sarah Chang! New Photos!

Actress Kelly Tandiono Exclusive interview!

Exclusive interview and new photos from HBO series Grisse!!!

Welcome to Dan's Movie Report

Watch for more reviews, exclusive interviews, exclusive photos, and contests coming in 2019! I am partnered with action-flix.com so watch for more cross site promotion! @ https://www.facebook.com/DansMovieReportContact through Facebook link.